The Chronicles of Melinda Halliwell:Demon Disease
by piperandleo4eva
Summary: A series centered mainly around Piper's daughter Melinda. This installment involves a demon with a deadly disease that only nonmagic using Melinda can stop. R&R please!


The Chronicles of Melinda Halliwell

Demon Disease

"She wants a family dinner?" Melinda Halliwell grumbled as she walked into the kitchen. "At this late hour? This is just like her, thinking that we can magically do anything she wants."

"Well, technically, she's not too far off." Melinda's father Leo Wyatt said from the kitchen table where he was reading a paper. The headmaster of magic school, he had gotten his Elder powers back in a spell gone awry, but he was no longer an Elder, or even a Whitelighter. He was a surgeon at the hospital part time to keep up appearances, but his true passion was teaching at Magic School.

"Not me," Melinda reminded her dad. "I don't do magic anymore. I quit last year. Remember the huge fight I got into with Aunt Paige and dear brother Wyatt?" It was no secret that fifteen-year-old Melinda and her almost nineteen-year-old brother Wyatt didn't see eye to eye on almost anything.

"I don't think that applies to making a salad," Leo told her. "What exactly did she say?"

"She said that it was time for our monthly Halliwell family dinner and she'd make the main course at the restaurant but I had to make the salad."

"Sounds just like your mother. Did she say what time the dinner is supposed to start?"

"Seven."

"That means that we have forty-five minutes. So what are you fussing about?"

"Did I mention that Chris is bringing his new girlfriend?"

Now Leo looked concerned. He loved both his wife and his sixteen-and-a-half year old son, but this was getting out of hand. "Does everyone else know?"

"She didn't say."

Leo rubbed his temples. "Okay, here's what we'll do. You start on the salad. I'll call everyone and tell them not to use magic. Where's Wyatt?"

"Am I my brother's keeper?"

Leo sighed. "All right, I'll get him too. You just work on the salad."

As he picked up the phone, Melinda said in a singsongy voice, "We wouldn't have this problem if no one used magic."

It was dark in the cave. Usually it was lighter. She had to squint, even in the light of the flashlight, to make sure that she didn't trip on anything. Just then she heard a voice.

"Is that you, witch?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." Just then, flames shot up around the teen, and she nearly screamed. But then the flames died down and all that was left was an orangey light. She saw a large, cavernous room, and walked in.

The demon was in there, standing over a cauldron. That was what had surprised her at first. Demons didn't make potions, only witches did. She'd made enough of them to know. But Cutrain had explained that he wasn't making a potion, he was making a disease. A disease in which the main ingredient was Darklighter poison, along with some other things to speed up the poison, and to make the witches think that it was just a regular illness, not demon caused. She had to admit, the plan was ingenious.

"Are you in?" Cutrain asked. Demons didn't waste time with pleasantries.

"Yes sir. Tonight at seven o'clock I'm going to dinner with the whole family."

"The whole family?"

"Yes, all of the sisters and their families."

Cutrain chuckled. This was better then he ever could have hoped. "Count off the Whitelighters for me, I want to make sure you know who you're after."

"Paige; her son Sam, age thirteen; Leo; Wyatt, age eighteen; Chris, age sixteen; and Melinda, age fifteen."

"Exactly, very good. You know how to slip the disease to Chris without him noticing?"

"Yes sir, but-"

"But what, girl? Remember, you're not being hired to ask questions."

"Shouldn't you make Cupids susceptible to the disease too? Phoebe isn't losing anyone. Coop and twelve-year-old Padrianna aren't being harmed."

"I know that. Phoebe always was the weakest, power-wise. With Paige dead, there's no Charmed Ones and Phoebe won't even be a pest. Piper will be so upset that Phoebe will rush to her sister's side. I see no problems. Remember, we don't want to get anyone suspicious; otherwise they'll come after both of us. We want Piper and Phoebe to think that this is just a terrible accident."

"Do you really think they'll believe that?"

"Piper nearly died from arroyo fever once, didn't she? They're human, they can get sick. They're _all_ human, that's the problem with you witches. Demons aren't human at all; we have no nonmagical weaknesses."

"I hate to rain on your parade, but the _human_ Charmed Ones have defeated more demons than anyone can count."

Cutrain swung away from his cauldron. "Whose side are you on anyway? Mine or theirs?"

Bianca Phoenix swallowed deeply, preparing her answer. "Um…theirs."

"WHAT was that?"

"I don't want to give him the disease. I…I really like Chris. I've been his girlfriend for a little while now, and I don't feel right killing him."

"Bianca, Bianca, Bianca. This is what I meant about the human problem. I'll tell you what though. I'll be nice. If you can get someone else to give the Charmed Ones the disease, I won't kill you or your mother."

Bianca shimmered out.

Seven chimes. Melinda placed the salad on the table. Piper had gotten home from P3H2O, the restaurant off of P3 just ten minutes earlier with the chicken, ready to heat and eat. She heard cars pull up. First came Wyatt, then her aunt Phoebe, her uncle Coop, and her cousin Padrie, followed by Chris and his girlfriend, who was introduced as Bianca. She had some sort of weird mark on her wrist that Melinda could only see for a second, because Bianca's jacket sleeve hid the mark. Paige, Henry, and Sam were last as always.

Dinner was good, and conversation flowed well, considering that much of Leo, Sam, and Padrie's days had to be omitted because they involved so much magic. Everyone except for Melinda had to hold their tongues, and Melinda again remembered why magic was such a curse.

As Piper and Melinda were serving dessert, a tribal demon appeared in the kitchen. Piper blew him up while Melinda kept guard to make sure no one else, namely Bianca, noticed. That's why no one noticed the woman who dumped a black potion, or what looked like one, onto a dessert plate. Piper and Melinda went on serving, thanking their lucky stars that nothing big happened.

Right after dessert, Chris complained of a headache, and no one thought much of it. But when, Leo, Wyatt, Sam, and Paige all had headaches too, the worry began. Especially when Chris fainted. Piper worriedly put him into bed, with Henry's help, but then all the afflicted began dropping like flies. "Family meeting!" Piper called, leaving a confused Bianca by Chris' bedside.

"Curse you Cutrain!" she whispered as they left. "You got to Grandmother before I did, you did this! If he dies, I'll kill you myself!" she vowed before following the Halliwells downstairs.

In the sunroom, Piper finally voiced her concern. "A tribal demon came into the kitchen during dinner. I blew him up, but now I'm worried. It's too coincidental that Leo, Paige, Sam, Wyatt, and Chris are all sick now, but I can't see any connection between them that doesn't include at least one of us."

Just then Bianca walked in. "Bianca, honey, I told you to stay with Chris…" Piper trailed off, seeing the birthmark as Bianca raised her hand. Realizing what she'd done, she quickly lowered it, but the damage was done. "I thought so, but Leo told me that it was just a coincidence. Leo…" Piper trailed off again, realizing the gravity of the situation and starting to cry.

Phoebe picked up the slack. "You had something to do with this, didn't you? You Phoenixes just work for whoever pays you the most, don't you?"

"Phoenixes?" Melinda asked. So Phoebe told everyone about the Phoenixes and Chris' run in with them (see Chris-Crossed for more).

"Please, don't hurt me," Bianca pleaded. "I didn't do this." She told them about Cutrain's scheme, her refusal, the visit to her grandmother, and how Cutrain must have anticipated her move. "The only thing I don't understand is why you aren't sick," she said to Melinda. "You're half Whitelighter too."

"But if you don't practice magic, you can't get a magical disease," Piper said, wiping away her tears. "So you can save them."

"How? If I use magic I catch the disease."

"If you don't they all die." Henry pointed out.

"Damned if I do, damned if I don't"

"Not necessarily" Bianca said. "My power is to pull power out of others. What if I pull the disease to me as you heal? I'm immune, and tat way you won't get it." She looked around. "I care about Chris, about all of them. If I have to use this to prove it to you I will."

Melinda was the only one to speak. "It's worth a shot."

They went upstairs to Sam. Melinda knelt at his bedside and placed her hands over his face. She tried to remember how she'd healed her family's wounds as a child. She remembered healing Wyatt a lot; he was always getting into scrapes. "Focus" she said to herself. "Concentrate on healing, on making them better." She looked at Bianca, positioned next to her. "Ready?" Bianca nodded grim faced. Melinda took a deep breath and let her power flow through her hands. Soon, they started to glow yellow. She saw a black ribbon flowing out of Sam and towards Bianca. She took another deep breath and thought of her cousin running, playing basketball, his favorite sport, and orbing into a family dinner, late as usual. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Sam's were open too. She breathed a sigh of relief and heard Bianca do the same beside her. "Mom, he's better!"

Piper rushed in. "We'll follow in your wake, just keep going."

Melinda and Bianca moved on to Wyatt in the next room. His eyes fluttered. "You sure you want to save me sis?" he asked. "I know I've been nothing but a thorn in your side ever since you were born."

Melinda held back a tear. "Of course I want to save you, Wyatt. What would I do without a pesky older brother?"

"Be happy? Not fight with someone about everything? Not have your stuff orbed away to goad you into using magic?"

Melinda laughed tearily. "That kind of stuff is what keeps me on my toes bro. You know I secretly enjoy it." His eyes closed, but there was a smile on his face. Melinda put her hands over his face and thought of the aforementioned tricks that her brother had played on her, but also of his run ins with boys who had tried to bully her, his vanquishing demons for her, and of the accident with Mike. As the black ribbon left her brother, his eyes reopened. Only when the light stopped did Melinda drop her hands and hug her brother.

Next, she and Bianca entered Chris' room. Bianca gasped at the sight of Chris looking so helpless, and she rushed to his side. Melinda knelt, raised her hands, and closed her eyes. She thought of Chris driving her home after school all year, of him settling fights between her and Wyatt as a good middle child should, and of him with Paige, taking his Whitelighter duties most seriously of all of them. Melinda knew that she was done when she heard Bianca squeal. She opened her eyes and lowered her hands. Bianca had her arms wrapped around Chris. Melinda got up to go on to Paige, but Bianca didn't seem to be coming. "Bianca?"

Bianca shook her head. "You don't need me; you never did. You're strong enough to pull the disease away on your own. Just find somewhere to put it."

Beside her Chris was nodding. "You were always the strongest healer Melinda. You could heal before you could crawl. Go."

Confused by their praise, Melinda went into the next room to her aunt. Paige was silent, her face betraying her discomfort. Melinda knelt. Find somewhere to send it. Okay. She raised her hands and concentrated on sending the virus back to the miserable demon that sent it. The black ribbon was starting to snake out the window. Good. She closed her eyes and thought of her aunt teaching the kids how to be Whitelighters and help their charges, of Paige's head on Henry's shoulder, or hugging her son. Of Paige with her sisters, forming the Power of Three, the strongest bond there is. Melinda didn't stop until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes. Paige had tapped her when she was done. "I'm proud of you." Paige told her niece. "I only wanted you to know that magic wasn't the enemy. I didn't love you any less when you stopped using it."

"I know," Melinda said, hugging her before moving on.

The last bed was the hardest. Her normally strong father lying in the bed in pain was too much for Melinda and she couldn't hold back tears anymore. She knelt beside Leo, who took her hand in his own. "You can do this," he reassured her. "You've always had this power inside of you, but now you're ready to use it. No one else can. They'd get drained, or sick, or both. You won't. You're too strong healing. That's your best power. Freezing is nice, but you're stronger healing. Heal."

With her father's words motivating her, Melinda raised her hands to his face. She thought of his smile, of his love. She knew that he held a special place for her as the youngest and the one who looked the most like him. She thought of him teaching class, of him with her mother, his soul mate. Of their family, which meant so much to him. Both the tears and the memories were flowing freely, but Melinda didn't stop until after her father removed her hands. He scooped her into a hug. "You did an adult's work tonight," he told her. "Good for you."

Melinda heard a noise in the doorway and turned. There stood her tearstained mother and her brothers, who were still weak. The three moved to the bed, and the family was again complete.

More soon!

Note: I didn't stick to the ending of Forever Charmed. Phoebe and Paige have fewer kids, and I changed the name of Paige's son. I also made up the name of Piper's restaurant as tribute to the episode of the same name. Leo is now a surgeon for cover purposes, and since I wanted him to get sick, I gave him back his powers. Ages are also not exact.


End file.
